


Oda's Ambition

by UPN20



Category: Tokyo Demons Series - Lianne Sentar
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:33:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6907381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UPN20/pseuds/UPN20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yeah....um...I dunno...this is probably a bad idea. Lower your expectations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One: On Western Wings

**Author's Note:**

> This is AU obviously. Also some characters might be slightly OOC depending on my mood. Also Touya did not commit any of the crimes his canon self did. Especially concerned with how I portrayed Mitsuko. Feedback most welcome. Also, everything is consensual.

Tokyo, Japan  
“This is bullshit!” Jo shouted slamming his hand down on the ornate wood desk he stood behind. Ayase started slightly though she was fairly used to by now.  
“I warned you, in fact most of us warned you,” she remarked coldly. Jo slumped in his chair. “You underestimated Touya and now look what's happening.”  
“I gotta fix this,” Jo muttered. “Leave me alone please.”  
Ayase glared at him.  
“Sorry...sorry...just I need a sec,” he added.  
Ayase spun and walked towards the tall cherry doors and pulled open one of them.  
“Don't you dare smoke in here,” she said with a turn of her head back towards him before exiting. Jo waited for the door to click shut before pulling the cigarette and lighter from the upper drawer and setting one of the “bad for you kids sticks” aflame. He looked at the paperwork scattered across the polished desktop, his brow furrowed as took in a few breathes of awful, exhaled, and jammed the cigarette into the papers on the desk, watching them singe before tossing it to the floor and putting it out with his bargain basement dress shoes.  
He leaned back in the chair and stared at the seal emblazoned above him, the seal of the Prime Minister of Japan. 

Sachi Ishida hesitated before entering the office he had been quickly summoned to. He finally entered to be greeted by an impeccably dressed secretary.  
“Hi!!!!” the secretary said extending a hand. “Sachi, it's good to see you!”  
“I uh....” Sachi said pausing. “Have we met?”  
“Same class in high school. It's Seiya!” the secretary responded.  
“OH! Seiya!” Sachi said feigning recognition. “How are you?”  
“Rockinas always!” Seiya responded. “But let's not keep him waiting.”  
Seiya moved to the back of the office past several other working drones and knocked.  
“Enter,” came the meticulous reply. Seiya slid the door open revealing Touya Kamishita, leader of the Kamishita faction.  
“Well hello Sachi,” Touya greeted but did not rise from his desk. Sachi slowly entered and Seiya slid the door closed remaining outside.  
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” Touya said grinning but only slightly, in a way Sachi had grown to know meant that trouble was coming.  
“I wouldn't want to keep a powerful faction leader waiting,” Sachi said.  
“I would imagine not. You Oda faction people are known for your politeness, as well as your naivete, however let's get to the point,” Touya responded. “You're about to join my faction.”  
“What?” Sachi gasped.  
Touya rose from his seat.  
“It should not surprise you,” he began. “That that Oda faction has weakened lately. Your optimistic ways might have temporarily given you power, but that could only last so long. Realistically it was going to end someday.”  
“You talk pretty boldly,” Sachi responded holding back his anger.  
“I can afford to,” Touya responded. “Let's to the matter at hand though. I would have thought you would have learned to be careful in this political environment.”  
The faction leader grabbed a folder off his faux golden topped bureau and handed it to his tense guest.  
Sachi opened it and his eyes widened.  
“Did you think people wouldn't find out?” Touya asked. “This behavior with one of your own colleagues will not be accepted well.”  
“Why? Who are you to define what love is!” Sachi snapped as his patience ended.  
“It's not I who will determine it. Personally I don't care,” Touya said facing Sachi eye to eye. “But others do. Especially when it regards their leaders.”  
The two continued to glare, before Touya broke it off, snatched the folder back, and returned to his desk.  
“You will join my faction or I go public with this, and that will ruin you, and it will ruin Kiyoshi Honda. Plus, I doubt that a cabinet minister having to resign will help the Oda government very much, do you?”  
Sachi said nothing as the rage grew.  
“You both should have been more careful,” Touya said. “It is possible you might have been able to survive if your relationship had been revealed, but not with those pictures, which indicate a more...interesting approach to things, which no doubt would appeal to your legions of fan voters, but NOT to the rest of our country.”  
“Fuck you,” Sachi said.  
“Will you join me?” Touya pressed without missing a beat.  
“Of course,” Sachi snapped. “For now.”  
Touya smiled.  
“But I don't get it,” Sachi said. “If you're making your move on Jo, why hold back, why not release this and destroy Kiyoshi?”  
“I'd prefer not to do that, as it would make my job slightly harder. I intend to take power peacefully, but you've known that all along, haven't you?” Touya explained. “Don't get me wrong though. I will use it if I have to. I will figure out how to pick up the pieces if I have to destroy you all. I'd rather not. You can go. Welcome to the Kamishita faction, Sachi...”  
Sachi hurried out past the other staffers and down the hall back towards his office as fast as he could go. 

Ayase had needed some air after her meeting with Jo and took it on the balcony of the Prime Minister's residence and office complex. She looked out at the expanse of Tokyo she could see beyond the walls trying to momentarily forget about the problem that had just landed in their laps.  
“Knew I'd find you here,” came a familiar and unwelcome voice. She spun to find Miki Morikawa looking her over with his eyes.  
“Do you have to do that?” she snapped.  
“Sorry, I'm usually not obvious about it,” Miki responded. “This is fucking horseshit.”  
“I came up here to be alone,” Ayase growled. “I didn't want interruption, especially not from you,” she responded.  
“You knew when you became Chief Cabinet Secretary, this kinda shit would happen,” Miki responded. “Why did you take such a crap job anyway?”  
“Jo needed us, he needed all of us,” Ayase answered. “You know that!”  
“Sometimes ya gotta put yourself first,” Miki responded.  
“Sometimes I just want to punch you in those eyes of yours. I bet you'd do fine with just one.”  
“No doubt,” Miki agreed confidently.  
“What do you want? Why are you even in the building?” Ayase asked.  
“Oh that,” Miki said. “Was supposed to meet with Kiyoshi about some fuckwads in the House of Councilors, but he got called away suddenly. But in the meantime I heard what Touya pulled. You know you can't come out against that legislation, you'll look like you have your heads stuck up your asses so far that you can wash your hair with stomach acid.”  
“Ew,” Ayase muttered.  
“Not my best, but you're pretty fucked,” Miki continued.  
“And what does the Morikawa faction intend to do?” Ayase, the second most powerful person in Japan's government, queried.  
“Depends on what you jerks come up with. If you can figure out a way out of this, I'm with you, if you can't I'll align with the dick massager's faction. Though if you don't figure this out, it won't matter since you'll all be voting for it too,” Miki answered.  
“Thanks...” Ayase muttered.  
“I gotta get back. I have a meeting in an hour with Minister of Industry and Technology. Plenty of time for me and Mitsuko to squeeze in some good time.”  
“Ew,” Ayase muttered. “I don't need to know about your sex!”  
“Good, because you never will firsthand.”  
Ayase punched him in the eye.  
“Bitch!” he snapped and crumpled to the grass wincing, before standing back up and wincing. He blinked slightly and confirmed both eyes still worked.  
“You probably gave me a black eye...” Miki hissed.  
“Mitsuko was likely going to do that anyway,” Ayase retorted.  
Miki grinned.  
“You don't take shit. That's why we can work together.”  
With that he exited the balcony. Ayase sat on a rock and tried to let the tension out.  
“I hate everything right now,” she muttered.

The modest newspaper office several blocks from the National Diet Building complex was bustling with activity. At one of the many desks spread throughout the cramped space, Nick Marshall hurriedly typed into his obsolete computer.  
The legislation, authored by Representative Kamishita, puts Prime Minister Oda in a difficult position. If Oda supports the bill, Kamaishita will gain prestige and credit for an issue of great importance to Oda, controlling illegal drugs. If Oda does not, he will look weak on security, even though Oda's plan was far different for dealing with the influx of strange new chemical based substances that have been spreading throughout much of Tokyo's underworld. The Kamishita plan puts focus on punishing buyers in the hopes of quashing demand, but does little to change policy towards the traffickers themselves. Oda's original plan was far more comprehensive but has been wallowing in debates among his own faction whose idealism is preventing them from getting down to business.  
“You don't hold anything back,” came the monotone voice of his colleague Zayd.  
“Dammit Zayd!” Nick snapped. “Stop reading my stuff!”  
“I'd read it tomorrow anyway,” Zayd responded calmly.  
“You're an asshole no matter where you are and what you're doing!” Nick spat in his Waltham accent.  
“I don't entirely understand your point,” Zayd said.  
Nick glared at him.  
“What do you think Oda will do?” Zayd queried.  
“Oda never wanted the job,” Nick answered. “He just kind of fell into it when all sorts of other shit happened.”  
“I was not assigned here...when the shit...as...you call it...happened...” Zayd admitted.  
“I don't have time to fill you in, but listen, Oda's group has been making a lot of missteps. I don't know if he'll figure it out before Touya topples him.”  
“This system in Japan is baffling sometimes. The ruling party broken up to three factions who do not like each other, but they all work together...so unstable...”  
“Beats a ruling family lording over everything,” Nick responded.  
“You oversimplify,” Zayd said.  
“That's what we Americans do,” Nick said grimly.  
“I don't like either system,” Zayd answered. “Mine, yours, or Japan's.”  
“I'll just drop it,” Nick said. “But yeah Oda, Morikawa, and Kamishita all work together...until someone decides they want to be king or queen, and then the knives come out. It was only a matter of time. Though Touya is a bigger bastard than most of them have been.”  
“How long have you been covering this?” Zayd asked.  
“Since the whole plagiarism dust up back in the states fifteen years ago,” Nick said.  
“Ah,” Zayd said and exited.  
“Pleasure expositioning with ya,” Nick muttered and started drinking some really bad beer out of a Ziploc bag. 

Mitsuko kicked open the door to the closet to Miki's office and strode out, leaving Miki lying in a collapse heap of deep lust and pain back inside the pillow lined chamber.  
“You never get to go first asshole,” she snapped and sat on his desk straightening herself out.  
“Well I didn't go first...” Miki muttered moving to stand.  
“Clearly, that's what the shin kick was for, and all the others,” she replied.  
“Sorry,” Miki growled.  
“I'm surprised. You know how we do this,” Mitsuko said pulling him onto the desk with her. “Are you distracted?”  
“A little, shouldn't matter when I'm getting off though.”  
“It matters when you're getting me off!” Mitsuko shouted tossing him off the desk.  
Miki rolled into a less than dignified heap on the ground, his suit all rumpled and out of sorts. The office door slid open.  
“EH?” he snapped.  
“Your...voice...was...carrying...” Kiyoshi said entering. “Not that I care much, I love hearing about people doing sexual play.”  
“You're a fucking Cabinet Minister you pervert!” Miki shouted up from his position still on the floor.  
“Oh yeah,” Kiyoshi realized extending a hand to Miki.  
“You probably don't want to touch his hands,” Mitsuko suggested.  
“Nah it's all good, it's all good,” Kiyoshi said pulling Miki up.  
“You're a weird motherfucker,” Miki snarled and took his seat. Mitsuko gave him a small look and grinned but did not vacate her spot sprawled on the desk.  
Kiyoshi took a seat across from Miki.  
“Sorry I missed our meeting earlier,” Kiyoshi said. “Sachi was insistent, but then when I finally found him he was strangely silent.”  
“He's a tool, you're all tools,” Miki answered. Mitsuko having proven her point about who had the power in the room, climbed off the desk and took a seat nearby thumbing through her phone messages.  
“Touya really screwed you all over didn't he?” Miki challenged. “Didn't see that coming did you?”  
“We thought he was going to nail us on Industrial stuff,. This was a surprise,” Kiyoshi said.  
“Speaking of which, the Minister of Industry will be here any minute,” Mitsuko pointed out.  
“Oh yeah, that turd-dragon,” Miki spat.  
Kiyoshi grinned.  
“You're the damn Minister of Justice, do you have a plan finally?” Miki asked.  
“Justice is my job, of course I do, but Nakajima keeps screwing with it,” Kiyoshi said. “If we can't get her to agree to it, it undermines everything.”  
“I thought she liked you, why doesn't she go along with this?” Mitsuko questioned.  
“Nakajima doesn't like anyone, and she doesn't like that she has to answer to us, even if we put her in charge of all of Japan's police,” Kiyoshi responded wiping his hand on pant leg. Mitsuko grinned.  
“Why don't you let me talk to her?” she asked.  
“You?” Miki asked.  
“Yes me idiot,” Mitsuko responded. “Nakajima and I go way back. Unlike the rest of you I haven't pissed her off like you all have.”  
“How did you manage that?” Kiyoshi asked.  
Mitsuko shrugged and stood.  
“I'll call her and set it up. Better watch out Miki, this faction might be mine someday if you don't get off your ass.”  
She exited nearly colliding with the Minister of Industry and Technology.  
“Ah Minister!”  
“Representative Hoshino,” the Minister, who was a stereotypical old man and not from the familiar cast of characters greeted.  
“Gotta go!” Mitsuko added and raced past the Minister's entourage and away leaving Miki's staff to greet him.  
“You seem to have a lot of trouble getting off in all senses,” Kiyoshi whispered.  
“I will kill you with this pen,” Miki said clutching a modest pen in his fist.  
“Time for me to go,” Kiyoshi said and hopped up. 

Zayd paced atop the newspaper building. He was not anxious but he did feel slightly impatient. The two figures finally appeared and approached dressed in purple pants and hideous green jackets, as well as hats to shroud their faces.  
“Not your best disguises,” Zayd said. The two shrugged. “It is as I feared. If this drug issue is not handled properly this country will be awash in misery and drugs like we've never seen before. Pitch cannot be allowed to grow here. You are my bodyguards but as I understand it you are authorized to kill if it serves the greater reason I am here. Because if that is accomplished than I can return home?”  
The two nodded.  
“Are you prepared to assassinate a leader if necessary?”  
The two nodded again.  
“I hope that it does not come to that,” he said looking in the distance at the rising central tower of the Diet building...

To be continued.... ... ... ...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring Jo Oda, Prime Minister of Japan. Ayase Watanabe, Chief Cabinet Secretary (2nd in Command), Minister of Justice Kiyoshi Honda, Diet Representatives Sachi Ishida (Oda Faction), Mitsuko Hoshino (Deputy Leader of the Morikawa Faction), Miki Morikawa (Leader of the Morikawa Faction), Touya Kamishita (Leader of the Kamishita Faction), Seiya (Aide to Touya), Nick Marshall (Reporter), Zayd Al-Shammari (Reporter), and who knows who else...

Sachi read through the paperwork that had piled up on his desk in his absence hurriedly trying to read it all before the inevitable storm arrived at his door. He did not succeed as the brief clamor outside alerted him seconds before the door swiftly moved to the side and Jo entered.  
“You're joining Touya? The hell is this about?” the Prime Minister asked with little interest in diplomacy.  
“Close the door Jo and I'll tell you,” Sachi answered. Jo did so and sat down.  
“He blackmailed me,” Sachi revealed.  
“What did you do?”  
“What do you think I did!?” Sachi responded.  
“Dammit Sachi, you're supposed to be careful!”  
“First of all, I shouldn't have to be, second of all...”  
“No you shouldn't have to be,” Jo cut him off. “But we live in a fucked up a world with fucked up bigots and a lot of them vote and I don't have to tell you that. I get why you're pissed but we know how things are! I have nearly gotten Touya's faction to sign off on some equality stuff. Though I'd guess they'll hold off even longer if they're going to use it as ammunition. Fuck those guys.”  
“You need a cigarette?” Sachi asked.  
“Fuck no, what am I? That predictable? This isn't the point. So he blackmailed you?”  
“He has pictures. He could take Kiyoshi down too but he is preferring to just have me, it's the least of evils.”  
“For now. There's a reason he wants you on his side.”  
“Death by a thousand cuts, rather than by one to the heart,” Sachi responded. “But we can stop him. After all him, letting me inside his group might give us intelligence on his actions.”  
“He'll be careful around you I'd guess,” Jo said. “You needed to be more careful. The press is going to use this. Our opponents will too. And you know what else? Someone's going to start asking why you changed over...this is shit...”  
Another commotion followed outside, but the door was flung open again as Kiyoshi struggled with Jo's Special Police bodyguards.  
“Let him in...” Jo said. The guards stood down.  
“We talked a few hours ago!” Kiyoshi snapped. “Was this what you needed to see me about? Why didn't you tell me?”  
“Uh Jo's here...” Sachi reminded him.  
“So what? I'm pissed now,” Kiyoshi responded and approached the desk. Jo suppressed a brief moment of glee that he couldn't help at Kiyoshi's behavior.  
“Guys you can have a private moment in a minute,” Jo said.  
“I don't want to fuck him I want to...” Kiyoshi responded.  
“THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT KIYOSHI! Stop thinking with your goddamn dick all the time,” Jo sternly said. Sachi sighed in embarrassment.  
“Now listen,” Prime Minister Oda continued. “The best thing we can do is come up with a reason for Sachi to move to Touya's faction, and try to blunt the criticism.”  
“What is the real reason?” Kiyoshi asked.  
“You are,” Jo said.  
“EH?”  
“He has pictures,” Sachi said.  
“You should have told me earlier!” Kiyoshi snapped with anger and mortification. “How much could he see?”  
“Enough,” Sachi responded quietly.  
“This is a level of detail I do not want to hear,” Jo growled. “Listen let's think up a cover story.”  
“Shouldn't you bring Ayase in on this?” Sachi asked.  
“Usually yes, but she and Mitsuko are putting out the other fire that Touya started today,” Jo explained.  
“How?” Sachi asked.  
“I'll tell you later,” Jo said. “Let's figure this one out.”

Mitsuko smiled broadly as she slid in alongside Touya as he and his entourage walked down one of the legislature's many ornate hallways.  
“Surprise,” she said.  
“You can make an appointment you know,” Touya answered.  
“Oh Touya dear, you know this easier for both of us,” Mitsuko responded continuing to smile, but also side-eye one of his aides who moved to intercept her. Touya stopped and the procession did as well.  
“What is it that you'd like?” he asked.  
“How about you pull that bill of yours and we can put together our overall plan,” Mitsuko said.  
“Why would I do that?” Touya wondered, genuinely curious at what answer she could possibly give.  
Mitsuko moved in close to him.  
“Because in exchange Miki will help you become Prime Minister,” she whispered.  
Touya's eyes widened.  
“Why would he do that?”  
“Because this is too important to fail. So if it means helping you, he'll do it,” Mitsuko said. “You can maneuver all you want. You've got dirt on Kiyoshi, you've got this bill that is screwing up everyone. You're making your move, we can do this slowly or quickly. You want to weaken Jo by passing a bill that sounds good on paper but doesn't do what he needs it to. Let's pass a bill that actually does what it needs to and we'll help you.”  
Touya smiled at her.  
“I'll consider it,” he said and waved everyone on. Mitsuko let the group pass, snatching the wallet from an aide she especially disliked and headed on her own way. 

Ayase waited in the alley leaning against her car and sipping some low quality bottled lemonade. The expected other car approached and pulled to a stop. The door opened and Nick emerged.  
“Ayase,” he said extending his hand.  
“Nick,” Ayase said coldly.  
“As glad to see me as ever,” Nick said with a pained grin.  
“Yes well, normally it's bad news,” Ayase answered.  
“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah,” Nick agreed and leaned against his car. “So what's going on?”  
“You're going to be hearing something soon and we'd like to cooperate in the hopes of better coverage from your paper.”  
“Just my paper?”  
“We're working on all the papers, but especially yours.”  
“Ok.”  
“Sachi is joining the Touya faction.”  
“What's Touya got on him?” Nick asked without skipping a beat.  
Ayase glared.  
“Sachi's reasons will be passed along to you soon...”  
“As soon as you all figure out what they are,” Nick surmised.  
“Do you want this or not?” Ayase asked.  
“What are you giving me? Is it even worth it?” Nick asked.  
“Commissioner-General Nakajima is about to make a massive arrest,” Ayase said. “In spite of the law being weak, she managed to put together a great case.”  
“No way in hell she'd ever want you telling me that,” Nick said.  
“That's right,” Ayase said.  
“What will be the result?” Nick asked.  
“We don't know because we don't know where all the Pitch is coming from, but this is a major source at least,” Ayase said.  
“So you're trying to trade this heads up to me for going easy on what's going on in your house?” Nick mused.  
“We know how it looks,” Ayase said.  
“Nakajima's going to kill you,” Nick ventured.  
“If she finds out where the leak came from,” Ayase reasoned.  
“She always does,” Nick said.  
“Crime isn't even my beat.”  
“It's a big story.”  
“Yeah...”  
Nick paused. “What the hell is actually going on?”  
“You'll know soon enough,” Ayase answered.  
Nick grimaced slightly.  
“Fine, tell me what's going on the with Pitch.”

“Did Touya seem to go for it?” Jo asked.  
Mitsuko smiled.  
“He's considering it, but he didn't say no.”  
“He's probably wondering how we're going to screw him,” Kiyoshi said from the corner.  
“Have you figured out how you're going to screw him?” Mitsuko asked.  
“Yeah all the answers are in my magic hands,” Jo muttered. “We'll figure it out.”  
“You need a better plan. We're all on the line here,” Mitsuko reminded him.  
“I trust my people even if I think life is rapidly becoming a never ending spiral of suck interrupted occasionally by..”  
“Orgasms and nicotine?” Kiyoshi asked.  
“You're probably someone who should spend a lot of the time shutting the hell up,” Jo said.  
A small knock preceded Ayase's entrance.  
“How'd it go?” Jo questioned.  
“I've managed to get most of the media to chill on this, though at great cost and Nakajima is going to kill someone,” Ayase revealed.  
“Hope it's me,” Jo admitted.  
“You were never this self-loathing before, have some money,” Mitsuko said tossing the stolen wallet on to the desk.  
“Good lord,” Jo muttered.  
Another knock came and an aide poked his head in.  
“Prime Minister, the children are downstairs,” the aide said.  
“Oh fucking great,” Jo spat.  
“Hey!” Ayase snapped.  
“I know I know, just the timing,” Jo said and stood up. “Kiyoshi go back to your office or something and stay out of trouble.”  
Kiyoshi nodded.  
“I'll be on my way,” Mitsuko volunteered still managing to smile. “Don't screw any of this up.”  
Jo and Ayase left the office and followed by aides and bodyguards entered a large area of the Prime Minister's residence where a small army of schoolkids stood waiting. At his approach they waved as the gaggle of press beyond snapped their photos. Jo smiled and waved hating himself as he descended a stairwell.  
“Hello there!” he said mustering up the optimism he had lost years ago, the shadows of which he clung to for moments like this.  
“HI PRIME MINISTER!” the kids shouted happily in unison.  
“Don't be weird, these may be the few people in the country that still like you,” Ayase whispered to him. Jo held back a comeback.  
“So...who has questions for me?” he asked.  
Ayase meanwhile was lining up her glare at the press corps behind to remind them this was a photo op and not to try to talk faction politics in front of a bunch of kids. Nick and the other reporters seemed to be behaving.  
“Prime Minister Oda, do you like this hat!?” a young girl said presenting a knit hat.  
“It's very nice,” Jo said.  
“Will you wear it?” the child pressed.  
Jo paused and accepted it before placing it on his head. Ayase grinned knowing what was going through his mind. Jo removed the hat and handed it back to the girl.  
“Fits well, you should give this to someone very special to you and let them know the Prime Minister wanted them to have it too,” he said. The girl smiled.  
“Prime Minista!!!” a young boy screamed.  
“What's your name?” Jo asked.  
“Ichiro, Ichiro HOSOKAWA!” the boy screamed.  
“What can I do for you Ichiro?” Jo pressed.  
“I wanna be Prime Minister!” Ichiro said.  
“Excellent, let's get you sworn in right now,” Jo responded.  
“You're not getting out of things that easily!” Ayase added letting chuckles roar across the room.  
The reporters all exchanged glances. She resumed her glare as a precaution.  
“Prime Minister Jo, will you make school less awful?” one of the kids asked.  
“School's important, your teachers are just trying to help you learn,” Jo said.  
“Did you like school?” the kid quickly questioned.  
“School is important,” Jo waffled. “Sometimes it doesn't seem fun, but it's important, don't forget that.”  
“Well said,” Ayase muttered under breath. 

As this went on, Kiyoshi slipped out a side exit to where his car waited. He hopped into the driver's seat and pulled away from the compound, soon driving back towards the Ministry of Justice building. His thoughts turned to the tumult that had enveloped them all. The drive was over before he realized it and nearly missed the entrance to the building's parking garage. In haste he spun the wheel just making it. He pulled down inside and into his reserved spot, climbing out of the vehicle in time to see Commissioner-General Nakajima was coming out of an elevator trailed by officers.  
“It's happening?” Kiyoshi asked.  
“We got information that they moved up the timetable,” Nakajima said coldly. “We're going now.”  
Kiyoshi nodded.  
“Good luck,” he said.  
“Luck doesn't matter, ever,” Nakajima responded and got into her car. The various vehicle raced away to join the SWAT teams awaiting them.  
Kiyoshi quickly texted Ayase informing her of the change. He was glad she tipped him off to her plan. With that done he hurried up to his office to prepared for the wild card he was about to throw.

Back at the public event Ayase reacted with surprise to the text but quickly worked her way over to Nick.  
“Enjoying this?” Ayase asked.  
“Uh...standard...stuff...” Nick said.  
“You should go now,” Ayase whispered.  
“What?”  
“Things change, times change,” Ayase whispered.  
Nick realized her meaning and headed for the door.  
“What was that all about?” one of the other reporters asked.  
“I hate him so much,” Ayase said.  
“Ah,” the reporter responded in surprise.  
“Thanks for coming everyone!” Jo shouted as things wrapped up and he retreated to his office, Ayase hurried after him as fast as her flats could carry her as she again was thankful heels had been removed from compulsory fashion.  
“That went well,” Jo said as she caught up with him.  
“That picture of you with the hat...”  
“So what?” Jo asked. “I wore a dopey hat, dopey hats aren't killing anyone.”  
“You're taking this well.”  
“Got real problems,” Jo said. “Children are great.”  
The two returned to the office to find their staff standing around the massive outer office staring at a television.  
“What's going on?” Ayase asked.  
“Ten seconds ago, the networks broke in to regular programming,” an aide responded.  
“Why?” Jo asked.  
“It can't be the drug bust,” Ayase said.  
“We go now live to Ministry of Justice,” an anchor said.  
“Oh hell Kiyoshi,” Jo said.  
The screen flashed to a gathering of TV reporters outside the Ministry of Justice building. Kiyoshi approached the microphones that had been hastily set up in the press conference he had urgently and secretly arranged.  
“I am here to announce that I am stepping down as Minister of Justice...” he began.

To be continued...


End file.
